UTSA completes series sweep of Air Force on Sunday, 12-4

SAN ANTONIO — UTSA scored in seven of its eight at-bats and battered seven Air Force pitchers for 15 hits en route to a 12-4 victory on Sunday afternoon. The win gave the Roadrunners a four-game sweep of the season-opening series at the Bird Bath and it was their first four-game whitewashing since the 2008 season.

UTSA was held scoreless in the first inning and proceeded to post one mark in each of the next three innings to pull even with the Falcons (0-4). The Roadrunners then took the lead for good with a two-run fifth.

Air Force pulled to within one in the next frame, but the Birds got the run back in the bottom of the panel on Mike Warren's sacrifice fly.

UTSA pulled away an inning later by scoring five times, including twice on Jesse Baker's double to right-center field.

The Roadrunners tacked on their final run in the eighth on back-to-back two-baggers by Baker and John Welborn.

Baker and RJ Perucki led the offensive charge with three hits apiece, while Daniel Rockett was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, a homer and two RBIs. Baker led the Birds with three RBIs.

Nolan Trabanino (1-0) earned the win after allowing a run on three hits in 1.2 relief innings. The left-hander also struck out four batters.

Matt Sims hurled 2.1 scoreless stanzas and fanned a game-high five in his first relief appearance of the season.

Steven Trojan (0-1) took the loss for the Falcons after yielding five runs on six hits over the first five frames.

UTSA racked up 62 hits, including 12 for extra bases, and batted .411 in the series.

Meanwhile, the Roadrunners' bullpen allowed just four runs and registered a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings of work.

UTSA kicks off a four-game road trip on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-1). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Chapman Field.